The expert
by Anonymous fanz
Summary: Nathan Jones, a Prothean researcher finds himself joining Shepard's mission to save the Galaxy.
1. Origins: The beacon

I've wanted to do this one for a while. A mass effect Fanfic with a character I came up a long time ago. Anyway, I don't own anything except for Nathan Jones.

...

Jone's POV

Everything was blurry. "Set the charges. Destroy the entire colony. Leave no evidence we were here." A turian said to a geth unit standing near him. What the hell? He began using the beacon. Then I blacked out.

...

After a while, some people began shooting at the Geth. I notice a pistol was on the ground near me. I grab it. I try to get up slowly. My body must be recovering from what ever happened. I shot the last Geth unit (While I was getting up, the others where destroyed.) killing it. I slowly walked out from behind the box.

"Who are you." One guy asked. "I'm Nathan Jones. One of the scientists who found the beacon." I said. I noticed that one of the other two was Ashley Williams, from 212. "Where did you find the gun." The guy asked. "It was lying on the ground near me, so I took it." I said. Suddenly, I heard something.

The Beacon was pulling Williams. The guy that wasn't talking to me managed to push her out of the way, but got stuck in mid air. "I think the Beacon is activating!" I shouted. He suddenly fell. "We need to get him out of here." The Ashley said.

...

I left the Normandy as soon it reached the Citadel. I went to my apartment, where I began checking some of my older research for something. It was about these loggings I found in the remnants of a destroyed Prothean ship. They were damaged, but from what I could tell, they were records. At first, they were studies of discovered life, leading me to the conclusion that a Prothean Scientist owned it.

His job was not to different from mine. One of the salvageable records referred to some life form he found. It seems he couldn't learn much about it before it vanished. Another referred to something called inusannon. I'm not sure what it was, but it seems like a race he was studing. Based on some other salvaged logs, it seems likely that his job was to observe more primitive races, possibly to consider uplifting. However, I'm more interested in the part of the records that aren't about this.

They where mentioning some war. The war seemed to be using every resource they had, so it would stand to reason that the owner had his ship given to some one involved in that war. They were less detailed and shorter, so much less of these records survived. I think that the ship was destroyed before the war ended. I began having flashbacks. One's with the ship I saw over Eden prime. I think that ship was around back then. I also saw synthetics. I realized something. The Turian wasn't the first to use the beacon. I was.

...

I was going to go tell someone in the alliance, when I noticed something was happening with my door. I think it's being hacked. I hid under a table. I still have the pistol I grabbed. When they came in, I could see several assassins. One was a Krogan. I couldn't tell what the other four were. I know I can't beat a krogan with this pistol.

Someone began firing at them. Who ever it was was well armed. A krogan charged at the one that came in. The two others began firing at him. I rolled from under the table, and shot at the other four. Once they were dead, I helped kill the Krogan. "Are you hurt?" A guy asked me. He was the guy from the Eden prime mission. The one that was affected by the beacon.

"Yeah. I was hiding most of the time they were here. Glad you showed up before they found me. Aren't you the commander from the Eden prime mission?" I replied. "Yes. Commander Shepard. I was sent to get you, incase you knew anything about the Eden prime mission." He said. I noticed the other person was a turian. He didn't look like the one I saw. "Yeah. I about to go there, because I think I do." I said.


	2. Origins: The council

I really wish I could just skip to mass effect 2 or 3, where the more interesting stuff comes in. Since I can't, I'm doing this. So much stuff happens though. For mass effect 3, I might need several other fanfics to cover it. Well, I'm stuck here for now. towards the end, I'm going to summarize Nathan's backstory, and skills.

...

I waited in councilor Udina office for a while while Shepard went looking for some one else with evidence. My flashbacks only proved that the beacon may have caused Shepard's dream. The assassins also proved that someone knows I used it, and doesn't want me proving that Shepard's dream wasn't a coincidence. I was glad when he finally came back. "You're not making my life easy Shepard. Firefights in the Wards. An all out assault on Chora's den. Do you have any idea how many—Who's this? A quarian. What are you up to Shepard." Udina said.

"Making your day ambassador. She has information linking Saren to the Geth." Good, because me seeing a Turian isn't exactly evidence. "Really? Maybe you better start at the beginning miss...?" Udina said "My name is Tali. Tali' Zorah Nar Rayya" Tali introduced. "We don't see many quarians here. Why did you leave the Flotilla?" Udina asked. I already know the answer. "I was on my Pilgrimage, my rite to adult passage." Tali answered. "I've never heard of this before." Shepard said. I have. "It is a tradition among my people. When we reach maturity, we leave the ships of our parents and people behind." She explained.

"Alone, we search the stars, only returning once we have discovered something of value. In this way, we prove ourselves worthy of our adulthood." She continued. Evidently, anything could count as valuable, since most of the ships want more people. Essentially they find the people more valuable than what the give. "Tell us what you found." Shepard said. Finally! "During my travels, I began hearing reports of Geth. Since they drove my people into exile, the Geth have never ventured beyond the Veil. I was curious. I tracked a patrol of geth to an uncharted world. I waited for one to become separated from its unit, then I disabled it, and removed it's memory core." Tali said.

"I thought the Geth fried their memory when they died. Some kind of defense mechanism." Anderson said. "How did you preserve the memory core?" I asked. "My people created the Geth. If your Quick, Careful, and Lucky small caches of data can sometimes be saved." She said. "Most of the core was wiped clean, but I salvaged an audio file from it's banks." She said, before playing the record.

"Eden prime was a major victory. The beacon has brought us one step closer to finding the conduit." The recording said. "That was the same guy I saw us the beacon!" I said. "That's Saren's voice. This proves he was involved in the attack." Anderson said. "He said Eden prime brought him one step closer to finding the Conduit. Any idea what that means." Shepard asked. An image of something flashed in my head. A mass effect Relay? "I think it's something he's looking for, which the beacon had knowledge of how to find." I said.

"Wait, there's more. Saren wasn't working alone." Tali said, continuing the recording. "And one step closer to the return of the reapers." Images of the ship I saw flashed. "I don't recognize that other voice, the one talking about the reapers." Udina said. It sounds familiar to me. "Are they some kind of new alien species?" Shepard asked.

"According to the memory core, they were a hyper advanced machine race that existed 50,000 years ago. The reapers hunted the Protheans to total extinction and they vanished. At least, that's what the Geth believe." Tali said. "Sounds a little far-fetched." Udina said. "The vision on Eden prime. I understand it now. I saw the Protheans being wiped out by the reapers." Shepard said. "I think the beacon was some kind of warning of them. So that we wouldn't be destroyed like them. I keep seeing similair visions, but they don't make sense. The beacon might have worked better if it were used on a Prothean." I said.

"Geth revere the reapers as gods. The pinnacle of nonorganic life. They believe Saren knows how to bring them back." Tali said. "The council is just going to love this." Udina said. "The reapers are a threat to every species in citadel space. We have to tell them." Shepard said. "They're a threat to the entire galaxy." I said. "No matter what they think about the rest of this, those audio files prove Saren's a traitor." Anderson said. "The captain's right. We need to report this to present this to the council right away." Udina said.

"What those two?" The Krogan said. "I have to find out more about the Reapers. And what connection they have to Saren, the Geth, and anyone else. Which means, I'm going with you." I said. "You saw me in the alley, commander. You know what I can do. Let me come with you." Tali said. "I thought you were on your pilgrimage." Shepard said. "The pilgrimige proves we are willing to give of ourselves for the greater good. What does it say about me if I turn my back on this. Saren is a danger to the entire galaxy. My pilgrimage can wait." Tali said.

"I'll take all the help I can get." Shepard said. "Thanks. You won't regret this." Tali said. "Anderson and I are going to get a few things ready for the council. Take a few minutes to collect your self, then meet us in the tower." Udina instructed.

...

Shepard went looking for keepers to scan for some salarian before heading to the tower. "Come on. Udina's already presenting the Quarian's evidence to the council." Anderson said. "Eden prime was a major victory. The beacon has brought us one step closer to finding the conduit. And one step closer to the return of the reapers." The recording said.

"I heard the first voice on Eden prime. It was a Turian leading some Geth. He used the Beacon." I said. "This evidence is irrefutable, ambassador. Saren will be stripped of his SPECTRE status and all efforts will be made to answer for his crimes." Sparatus said. "I recognize the other voice, the one speaking to Saren. It is Matriarch Benezia." Tevos said. I remember the name, but not who it belongs to.

"Who is she?" I asked. "Matriarch's are powerful asari who have entered the final stage of their lives. Revered for their wisdom and experience, they serve as guides for my people." Tevos explained. Still don't know who she is. "Matriarch Benezia is a powerful biotic and she had many followers. She will make a formidable ally for Saren." I think I know someone who knows hers. "I'm more interested in the reapers. What do you know about them?" Valern asked.

"Mostly theories. We only know for sure that the Geth believe they destroyed the Protheans 50,000 years ago and vanished. Based on my and Shepard's visions from the beacon, I think the ship the Geth used was a reaper, or at least similar in appearance." I said. "The Geth believe the Reapers are gods, and that Saren is the prophet for their return." Shepard said. "We think the Conduit is the key to bringing them back. Saren's searching for it. That's why he attacked Eden prime." Anderson said.

"Do we even know what this Conduit is?" Tevos asked. "No. The Beacon was more focused on warning us of the Reapers. If it does have information, I haven't understood any of it. To me, it's just images that I can understand partially. I do know that if it is the key to finding the Reapers, we can't let him find it." I said. "Listen to what your saying! Saren wants to bring back the machines that wiped out all life in the Galaxy? Impossible. It has to be. Where did the Reapers go? Why did they Vanish? How come we found no trace of their existence? If they were real, we would have found something." Sparatus said.

"We haven't found any trace because they are as mysterious as the Protheans. We know almost nothing about them. Only that they existed, with technology more advanced than our own, and that they disappeared around 50,000 years ago, and had a community supporting other species in some form. The rest we don't know for sure, and only theorize based on our finds. I should know, I'm a Prothean Researcher." I said. "Whether or not it's true, Saren betrayed the council. We all agree he's using the Geth to search for the conduit, but we don't really know why." Tevos said. "The reapers are obviously just a myth. Just a convenient lie to cover Saren's true purpose. A legend he is using to bend the Geth to his will." Valern said.

"Or a truth he knows you won't believe. Either way, we won't know for sure unless we do something." I said. "Saren is a rogue agent on the run for his life. He no longer has the rights or resources of a SPECTRE. The council stripped him of that." Sparatus said. "He is still a threat to the galaxy. As are his allies." I said. "Send your fleet in!" Udina requested. "A fleet cannot hunt down one man." Valern said. "A citadel fleet could secure the entire region. Keep the Geth from any more of our colonies." Udina said. I doubt they will.

"I don't think it's worth risking war with the Terminus systems. We should send someone in that can handle this entire mess." I suggested. "I can handle Saren and the Geth." Shepard said. "He's right. There is a way to stop Saren that doesn't involve fleets and armies." Valern said. "No! It's too soon. Humanity isn't ready for the responsibilities that come with joining the SPECTREs." Sparatus said. "You don't have to send a fleet into the Traverse and and the ambassador gets his human SPECTRE. Everybody's happy." Shepard said.

"Commander Shepard. Step forward. It is the decision of the council you be granted all the powers and privileges of the special tactics and reconnaissance branch of the council." Valern said. "SPECTREs are not trained, but choosen. Individuals forged in the fire service and battle, those whose actions elevate them above the rank and file." Tevos said. "SPECTREs are an ideal, a symbol. The embodiment of courage, determination, and self-reliance. They are the right hand of the council, instruments of our will." Valern continued. "SPECTREs bare a great burden. They are protectors of galactic peace. Both our first and last line of defense. The safety of the galaxy is theirs to uphold." Sparatus said. "You are the first human SPECTRE, commander. This is a great accomplishment for both you and your species." Valern said. "I'm honored councilor." Shepard said.

"We're sending you to the traverse, after Saren. He is a fugitive to justice, and you are to use any means necessary to apprehend or eliminate him." Tevos said. "Any idea where to find him?" Shepard asked. "We will forward any relevant files to ambassador Udina." Sparatus said. "This meeting of the council is adjourned." Valern said. "Congratulations commander." Anderson said. "We've got a lot of work to do. We need a ship, a crew, supplies—" Udina said. "You'll get access to special equipment and training now. You should go down to the Csec academy and speak to the SPECTRE requisitions officer." Anderson said. "Anderson, come with me. I'll need your help to set this up." Udina said.

As Shepard left, I decided to get my things from my apartment. There are Csec officers guarding it now, incase someone tried to break in and steal anything. I transferred all my research files to my omni tool. I didn't take much else. I did however return to port to learn that Anderson gave Shepard the Normandy, and it's crew.

...

I set up my Quarters. I only added a computer for my research. Other than that, the room was the same as when I entered. Shepard came in. "Shepard? What are you doing here?" I asked. "I just wanted to get to know you better, Nathan." He said. "Alright. I was a scientist, with great knowledge of the Protheans. My theories are usually questioned, but I have been able to prove many of them right." I said. "Tell me about these theories." Shepard said. "Mostly about things we don't know about the Protheans, but can assume based on small bits of information. The only theory I have that I haven't proven yet is that the Protheans may not have been the first to use the Citadel." I said.

"What makes you think that?" He asked. "The technology used by the Mass effect relays seem more advance than the technology that we could find. We haven't found anything predating their existence however, so I can't prove it. A scientist found an artifact he claimed predates them, but he was killed by Saren after going insane." I said."Killed by Saren?" Shepard asked. "It was in the mission where the council was planning to make Anderson a SPECTRE. But according Anderson, Saren was responsible. I think Saren has proven he can't be trusted." I said. "How do you know he was insane?" Shepard asked. "He was becoming more and more obsessed with studying the artifact. According to the other scientists working with him." I said. "Did anyone every believe you might be correct." He asked. "One scientist agreed with me, but her opinion meant almost nothing, due to her inexperience." I said.

"Why were you on Eden prime?" Shepard asked. "When the Alliance got word, I was on a nearby planet, so I was sent to investigate, being a Prothean expert." I said. "Why did you use the beacon?" Shepard asked. "When the attack began, I realized we might not be able to save the data unless we transferred it." I answered. "You seem to know how to handle yourself well in a fight." Shepard said. "I learned to defend myself against privateers and other threats. Mainly using pistols. While I also had others helping me." I said.

"Do you have any other talents I should know of?" Shepard asked. "I am a biotic. I don't have much skill at using it offensively though. You want me to lift, or throw, I could do that. I can't create a singularity though. I could also help you with Tech. Hacking synthetics, disabling peoples gear, and decrypting. That stuff." I said. "I should go." Shepard said.


End file.
